Book Reviews

 Here are a few things I've been reading recently.

All My Secrets by Lynn Austin, Adult Historical Christian Fiction, 2024

What it's about: In 1898, A. J Stanhope dies suddenly and leaves his mother, wife, and daughter at a crossroads for what is next in their lives. Because of stipulations in a will, none of the women can inherit the Stanhope's family fortune. The daughter, Addy, feels an obligation to marry rich so they can save their mansion and lifestyle. Her grandmother and mother gradually reveal their younger days and the mistakes they made, which explains why Addy's mother wants her to marry for money, and her grandmother wants her to marry for love. Eventually, each of the women finds a positive path forward.

What did I think? I almost quit early on in the book. The story was thin and didn't hold my interest. But I stuck with it and gradually became interested in the characters, and I found the historical settings and descriptions interesting. Even so, the story is predictable, and the characters are one-dimensional. The good guys are always good, and the bad guys are always bad. But it has a feel-good tone, much like a Hallmark movie. You know what is going to happen, but it can be enjoyable watching it anyway. There's even a first kiss at the end like a Hallmark movie.  

It is Christian fiction, so there are Bible verses quoted and prayer mentioned often. There are also a fair number of times when the book mentions that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and the forgiveness of God. I didn't find these things too distracting, but if you aren't a Christian, they may be too much for you. 

What did others think? Lynn Austin is a very popular, best-selling author in Christian literature. Goodreads and Amazon readers give this book an A-.

Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry, Children's fiction (elementary, middle school), 2024

What it's about: Two best friends named Sophie. One is 11 years old, and one is 88 years old. Sophie the Elder is developing dementia, and her son is coming to have her tested to decide what's next for his mother. Sophie the Younger can't bear the thought of her best friend moving, so she tries to help her friend by coaching her for the tests. One of the tests is to recall three words mentioned earlier in the conversation. Sophie the Elder is having a hard time with it, so Sophie the Younger has her tell stories about the three words she wants her to remember: tree, table, book. Sophie the Elder tells her three stories about her childhood in Poland during World War II that she's never told anyone before. 

What did I think? I loved this book. Dementia is a hard subject, and I think it is dealt with well here at an age-appropriate level. It is a rich book that also touches on the atrocities of WW II, as well as autism and different kinds of friendships. Even with all of these serious issues, I would call the book more touching than depressing to read.

What did others think? The book has starred reviews, and Amazon and Goodreads give it an A- and B+.

All That Chandi Knows by Khushboo Patel, Children's fiction (upper elementary, middle grades), 2026.

What it's about: The book, written in verse, is set in India in 1999. Chandi is a 12-year-old girl who appears to have it all: a well-to-do family, good grades, and good friends. However, a family secret torments her. 

What did I think? Many children's books are written in verse these days, so I wanted to try one. I found this one beautifully written, and I think since there are fewer words than a typical prose book, the words were chosen more carefully and had more impact. 

The setting was in India with many references to things I wasn't familiar with, but the theme of what Chandi was experiencing as a tween was universal. With all of that being said, I felt the novel was thin on plot.

What did others think? The book has many positive reviews, and Amazon and Goodreads give it an A and a B.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, Adult historical fiction, 2001

What it's about: Year of Wonders visits the plague outbreak in England in 1666. A small village is introduced to the plague from a piece of cloth from London, and the village is persuaded by their minister to isolate itself from the outside world until the plague is over. They are told that sparing others is the Godly thing to do. The story follows Anna, a house servant for the year, as she helps the villagers during this horrible time. By the end, 2/3 of the people have died, and the dire circumstances bring out the best and worst in the people. We see how the year of tragedies made Anna a stronger person. It is based on a true story.

What did I think? Immediately, I recognized that Geraldine Brooks' writing is a step above most others, and it is evident that she has done extensive research for the book. The setting and the religious beliefs at the time (or lack thereof) and the poor understanding of diseases in the 1600s are important parts of the story. In addition, the characters were complex and interesting.

Part of Brooks' writing style is to be very graphic with the details of the story. It was a difficult time, and maybe all of the vivid details are needed to tell it properly. However, I started skimming the troublesome scenes because they were too much for me. But even with the disturbing events, I thought it was a good book.

What did others think? Year of Wonders was an international bestseller and has numerous accolades, including a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book. 

This and That Pictures

Here's a random group of pictures that don't tell any kind of story except maybe what I find interesting. Not all are great pictures, but they remind me of things I've seen. My father-in-law once said he didn't care much about a picture's quality if it was good enough to remind him of something, and I think that applies here. 

This was the first time I had seen a little free art gallery.

A mural advertising Sykesville Days.

We're harvesting a few pears these days. It's always a race against the critters and rot.

A new fence around a church we saw on our outing the other day. A bird has made quick work on one of the posts.

A restored steam engine tractor in Parkersburg, WV. Of course, Ward was very interested in figuring out how it worked.

The town where my father was born and the cemetery where we found the graves of my great-grandparents and great-uncles. My sister supplied some interesting stories about them. It is true that there have been moonshiners in WV. :)

These giant metal roosters seem to be a trend in the Parkersburg area.

When we visit somewhere, we usually collect magnets as our souvenirs. Thanks to Hannah at Squishy Tulips for the idea of displaying them. (Frames from a thrift store.)

This is a weevil that we found attached to the end of a roll of toilet paper. Somehow, we didn't get a picture for scale, but the actual insect was quite small, about 1/4" long. I took it outside, and it eventually disappeared. I can tell you I look more closely at the toilet paper before I use it now. :)

This is another of those things that's hard to discern in the picture. The trunk of this tree was little more than bark, yet it supported growth on top of it. 

That's 10 things, so I guess that's a good time to wind up today's gallery. 

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful for gardening advice.

Cucumber trellis in Uncle Billy's garden

This summer, Ward built a deer and rabbit fence around our garden area, and it has helped. It has also expanded the area available for plantings. Now I have to design how to best use the additional space. I want to do some raised beds to take me into the future, when the back and knee issues will be hindering. These will not be easy to move once in place, so I need a plan. It's a big project that seems overwhelming. 

I asked Uncle Billy to walk around his garden to look at spacing and get his advice on various plants since he has been doing this for a long time. Of course, there is a lot of information available online, but it's not the same as seeing and hearing things in person. 

So, as I make my garden plans, I am thankful to Uncle Billy for sharing his wisdom with me.

Go Fever

 Do you ever have that restless feeling when you don't want to stay at home with the routine things that need to be done? Do you feel like you need a change of pace, even if it is just for a short while? That's what I call Go Fever. And I had a case of that this morning. I told Ward what I was feeling, and he was game for an outing. We decided to check out a cave that we had recently heard about that was only 40 minutes away. We headed for Camel's Den Cave in Patapsco Valley State Park. 

Patapsco Valley State Park is a large park running 32 miles along the Patapsco River. The cave was a short walk from the Daniels parking area.

The trail started next to the Patapsco River (looks like a small pond here).

The trails were generally sandy and surrounded by Japanese stilt grass.

Japanese stiltgrass was introduced to this country over 100 years ago in some packaging material. It has become invasive since then.

We had to cross two streams on the way to the cave. Luckily, neither of us fell on the slippery rocks.

Camel's Den Cave. It is a tectonic cave, meaning it was formed by tectonic forces, unlike most caves, which are formed by the dissolution of rock (such as limestone). It was small by most cave standards, only going about 20' back from the entrance.

On the way back to the car, we saw a great blue heron.

Ward wanted to see the Daniels Dam, just down the road. The dam was built originally in 1833 and was used to power mills in the area. 

The mills have long since closed, and the dam is no longer needed. The Dept. of Natural Resources has just begun a study on removing the dam to improve fish passage. Three other dams upstream have already been removed.* 

The town of Daniels was a company town for a cotton mill. The mill was active from the 1830s to the 1960s. Hurricane Agnes in 1972 wiped out the town, and this church on the hill above the dam was the only surviving structure.

We hiked to the top of the hill to get a better look at the church. 

There was a nice view from the top. 

We made it back to the car just as it started to rain. We were stuck in road construction traffic on the way home, but it was all good because I had packed snacks. All in all, it was an excellent cure for my Go Fever.

Until next time...

* The DNR sign put an apostrophe in the Daniels name, but that's incorrect.

Wordless Wednesday, A walk around the yard